Stop or throw-off mechanism for continuous feeders



May 27 1924.

J. H. M 'CARTHY ET AL STOP 0R THROW-OFF MECHANISM FOR CONTINUOUS FEEDERS Filed'March 24. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Folgwi l: I p o o o 7'26); ATTORNEY ,May 27 1924. 1,495,338

J- H. M CARTHY ET AL STOP 0R THROW-OFF MECHANISM FOR CONTINUOUS FEEDERS Filed March 24. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheep 2 a INV I MW W ATTORNEY ENTOR 8 May 27, 1924. 1,495,338

' J. H. MCCARTHY ET AL STOP OR THROW-OFF MECHANISM FOR CONTINUOUS FBEDERS Filed March 24. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Y ENTO s 52 yZto-MM g' M m ATTORNEY Patented May 27, 1924..

JAMES H. MCCARTHY, OF NEW YORK, AND THOMAS C. DEXTER, OF IE'EARL RIVER,

NEW YORK.

STOP OR THROW-OFF MECHANISM FOR CONTINUOUS FEEDERS.

Application filed March 24, 1921.' Serial No. 455,234.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J AMES H. MCCARTHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, and THOMAS C. DEXTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pearl River, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStop or Throw-Off Mechanism for Continuous Feeders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The invention relates to apparatus serving to convey sheet-material to another machine for subsequent operation thereon, and it is particularly designed for use on paperfeeding devices of the continuous type, that is to say, machines whereby the sheets of paper are conveyed by endless belts or bands, permitting a feeder to be loaded while it is running.

Primarily, the invention has for itsobject to provide an automatic, efficient, and adequate means of interrupting the operation of a normally continuous feeder, after a predetermined number of sheets has been delivered thereby to a folder or other machine of analogous character, so that the run of sheets may not in any instance exceed the quantity required.

As familiarly known to persons versed in this art, a run consists of a variable amount of sheets, as two hundred and fifty, five hundred, seven hundred and fifty, one thousand, and so forth, which are called signatures when folded, and constitute individual sections of an equal number of books, pamphlets, catalogues, magazines, or periodicals, as the case may be. It is very important to keep each run separate when folding the sheets or doing other work on them-while producing a publication. Heretofore, the customary way of keeping the runs segregated during delivery from a continuous feeder was to place a marker near the end of each run, and watch the machine until it fed up to that point, then shutting off the feeder after the last sheet in the run had been delivered. But, very often an operator, through carelessness or inadvertence, would let the machine feed up to and past the marker, allowing one run to become mixed up with another, which caused. much trouble and waste of time inafterwards having to separate the sheets, and therefore involved pecuniary loss, at least in misspent labor if not in spoiled material.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a mechanism of the class described a portable stop, or aplurality of such stops,

adapted to be positioned in the line of feed of the pile of papersheets included in a run or forming consecutive runs, and to interrupt the feeding operation at convenient times and places best calculated to facilitate referred to herein and form part hereof, is

illustrated a practical embodiment of the invention, the same serving in connectionwith the description herein to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, giving a general outline of the improved mechanism applied to a well-known form of continuous paper-feeding machine;

Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation, showing on an enlarged scale the principal parts of the mechanism as outlined in the preceding vlew;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the feeder, with the improved mechanism thereto at tached, looking from the left-hand side of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the portable stop hereinbefore mentioned;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the said stop;

' and F 6 is a perspective View of the entire throw-off mechanism, showing it detached from the feeder, but indicating its position relatively to both the aforesaid portable stop and the starting device of the machine.

As indicated'in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the feeder includes superposed boards, as A and B, in clined respectively toward and away from a rotary cylinder C, around which passes a number of endless bands D forming a conveyor for a pile of paper sheets, designated as a whole by the letter E. The paper is led. from the upper to the lower board, where the sheets are separated by comber-whcels, as F, and fed one at a time into a folder or other machine, with which the feeder is operatively connected. The comber-wheels are brought into contact with the successive paper sheets, and raised therefrom whenever required, by means of a known form of mechanism G,. controlled manually by a lever H. The latter-named element, that is, the control lever H is positively acted upon by the stop or throw-off mechanism of the present invention, when the operation of the feeder is to be interrupted.

According to one feature of the invention, a portable stop is provided for use in connection with the traveling pile of paper sheets conveyed by the feeder to the folding or other machine supplied from the same. In the preferred embodiment of this feature, and as detailed Figs. st and 5, the stop comprises a flexible blade-like member 11, a crosshead 12 at one end thereon, and an outwardly extended flange 18 on the crosshead, which constitutes the effective contactpiece or point of contact between the said stop and other parts of the throw-oif mech-- anism designed to suspend the active operation of the controlling lever H above mentioned.

When in use the aforesaid stop is applied to the paper pile E, in the manner indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, by inserting its blade 11 between the sheets transversely of the line of feed, and so that the head 12 will lie flat against the edge or side of the pile. In order to insure a good hold on the paper, the blade of the stop is preferably roughened at the surface, as indicated by the reference numeral 14: in Figs. 1 and 5. This may be done by scoring or pittin the blade itself, or incasing it in an envelope or sheath of emery, cloth, and the like. The stop is fur ther secured in its assigned position .among the sheets by serrations 15, formed at the opposite end of the head from the contact flange 13. These serrations catch into the pile of paper and help to prevent the stop from sliding back when the abutting flange thereof sets in operation the other parts of the throw-off mechanism alluded to hereinbefore.

Another advantageous feature of the in vention resides in the comparatively compact disposition and practically secluded. grouping of the said other parts of the throw-off mechanism, which are situated intermediately of the superposed boards or runways A and B, mostly within the structure of the feeder, and at the side thereof where they can most conveniently be set up, assembled, dismantled, repaired, or adjusted. .r-i brief description will now be given of the construction and interrelative ar ill recesses rangement of these parts of the improved mechanism.

The principal elements of the throw-01f mechanism may be said to consist of an arm, as 18, arranged to throw off the control lever H, a weight 19, actuating this arm; a detent 20, adapted normally to keep the weight raised and consequently inoperative; and a tripping device functioned to displace the detent so as to cause the said weight to fall and operate the throw-off arm, this device including a contact lever 21, placed in the path of the portable stop previously described. The several parts here enumerated will be considered seriatim, conjointly with their respective accessories.

Preferably, and as shown, the arm 18 consists of an angular rod attached to a rockshaft 25, fitted to oscillate in the lower end of a hanger or bracket 26, depending from the underside of the upper inclined board A of the feeder, in proximity to the lever H, which controls the operation of the latter. As indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the rockshaft may be made conveniently of two parts adjustable in relation to each other, namely, a hollow external part above designated as 25, through the outer end of which the inner half of the angular rod passes, and a solid internal part 27, j ourn alled in the said. bracket. The external part 25 fits like a rotatable socket over the internal part 27, and is secured in position after ad justment thereon by means of a set-screw The part 25, carrying the arm 18, is thereby enabled to assume any angular disposi tion relative to the part 27 that will accommodate the desired range of oscillation of the arm in throwing olf the control lever. The arm itself is made adjustable transversely of the rockshaft, by being passed through a suitable opening across the hollow part thereof, and held in place within the opening by a set-screw 29, driven endwise into the said hollow part. The height of the arm and therefor its purchase with. respect to the control lever H can thus be easily regulated.

The weight 19, before referred to, is slid.- ably mounted on a rod 31, rigidly secured to and across the solid end of the aforesaid rockshaft. It understood that this weight is sufficiently large or massive to oscillate the rockshuft, when left free to gravitate with the rod 31, on which it is maintained. in the required adjustment by a set serew 32. When allowed to descend and rock the shaft, the weight coincidcntly swings the lever H forward and thereby stops the feeder. The mechanism, herein designated by the reference letter G, which sets the feeder in motion and is controlled by the. lever H, requires no special description, as it is of well-known construction and forms no part of the present invention, the lat e" L being properly confined to the improved stop or throw-off mechanism as an adjunct to the feeder.

Normally, the said weight 19 is kept elevated and prevented from throwing off the controlling lever of the feeder, through the instrumentalityof a counterweighted detent, previously designated as 20, herein. The detent 20, as represented in the drawings hereto annexed, consists preferably of a lever pivotally suspended from the upper part of the'bracket 26, and carrying an offset bearing portion 34, adapted for engagement with the inner extremity of the weight-supporting rod 31, which is made to project slightly forward from the rockshaft end 27, for that purpose. The bearing portion 34 rests squarely upon the rods extremity, when engaged thereby, and is then kept in an approximately perpendicular position, together with the detent lever to which it appertains. In this, the lever 20 is assisted by a counterbalance weight 35, slidable upon a rod 36, threaded into a lug or side projection 37, of the last-named lever. The counterbalance is fixed at a suitable point on the rod 36, through the agency of a set-screw 38. These parts prevent the detent lever from swinging too far forward in any condition. A pin or lug may also be affixed to or made a part of the bearing plate 34, as at 39 on one edge thereof, to bring the same into contact with the contiguous edge of the bracket 26, and thereby preclude excessive oscillation of the detent in a rearward direction.

Besides the contact lever 21, before mentioned, the tripping device for the detent 20 includes a connecting-rod 41, flexibly at tached at one end to the latter, an oscillatable arm 42, jointed to the other end of the connecting rod, and a shaft 43, adapted to be rocked by this arm. The contact lever 21 is detachably connected to the shaft 43, to which it is fastened by a set-screw 44. It is also made slidable and reversible thereon, as the dotted lines in Fig. 6 indicate. The shaft 43, carrying both the lever 21 and the arm 42,- is journalled in a movable bracket 45, projecting forwardly from a shaft 1, pertaining to the feeder and to which the ordinary side guides for the paper pile are at tached. As already known, the pile guide shaft I is carried by movable blocks, as J, advanced or retracted as needed, along rackbars or toothed rails, as K, that likewise form part of the feeder herein shown. The arm 42 is adjustably and rigidly secured by a set-screw 46, to the outer end of the shaft 43, that is, to the end portion thereof adjoining the bracket 45. The shaft 43 extends inwardly from this bracket a suflicient distance to permit adjustment of the contact lever crosswise of the feeder in a lateral direction. A pivot-pin or bolt 47 joins the.

arm 42 to the forward endof the connectingrod 41, the rear end of which is passed through a swivel-stud 48, fitted .in the lower extremity of the detent lever 20. The rod 41 is fixed in its adjusted position by means of a set-screw 49 (Fig. 3). As will be noted, it can be slid either way through the swivelstud, in conformity with the advance or retraction of the movable bracket 45,.and parts thereto connected. I

The operation of this improved mechanism will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in'connection with the accompanying drawings.

Thus, it will be seen that the portable stop is inserted in the side of the paper pile near theend of a run, preferably while some of the sheets composing the same are still distant from the forward extremity of the upper board A, as represented in Fig. 1. It is not intended to stop the feeder exactly on the last sheet of a run, but rather a few sheets ahead of the last. A marker, designated by M in Fig. 1, may also be employed as usual, to indicate the line of division between one run and another. The portable stop, traveling with the paper, becomes inverted therewith as it reaches the lower board B, assuming then the position illustrated in Fig. 2. Encountering the contact lever 21, the stop causes it to rock the shaft 43, and consequently swing the arm 42 in a forward direction, which draws the connecting-rod 41 also forwardly, and pulls likewise the detent 20 and bearing plate 34 off the underlying extremity of the weight-supporting rod 31. This trips the weight and causes it to fall, thereby turning the two-part rockshaft 25, 27, swinging the angular arm 18 attached to it, and throwing off the control lever ,H, which stops the paper-feed. The attention of the operator is thus called to the machine, and by removing the portable stop, he can again start the feeder and watch it until the last sheet of the run has been delivered. The mechanism is re-set for renewed continuous feeding, simply by replacing the detent plate 34 upon the inner end of the weight-supporting-rod 31, as before, the several other parts then resuming automatically their respective positions.

Two or more portable stops may be used at the same time, particularly for short runs, one stop being placed near the end of each run. l/Vhen used in this manner, the last stop may be utilized also to indicate the time when it becomes expedient to reload the feeder, that is, before the last run then on the upper board has passed or ap proached too nearly the drum or cylinder G. Of course, it is understood that the runs are arranged so as to lap one over another, as suggested by the dash line L in Figs. 1 and 2, and it is exceedingly 'diflicult,

when a paper pile has been allowed to reach the end of the feeder before re-loading, to re-establish a good sequence between the runs that will insure a straight delivery of the paper to the folding or other machine. This difficulty is avoided by employing an upper stop, which may be located approximately as in Fig. 1, and another stop in advance of it, arranged to meet the trip lever as in Fig. 2, at the time required.

It will be observed that the improved mechanism herein described admits of ad justment both longitudinally and transversely of the feeder, in order to accommodate various sizes of paper sheets. An adjustment in a longitudinal or fore-and aft direction. is obtained merely by sliding the connecting-rod 4-1 forwardly or rear wardly through the swivel-stud 4-8, first loosening and afterwards tightening the set-screw 49. To adjust in a transverse direction, that is, at right angles to the line of feed, it is only necessary to slide the contact lever 21 in or out along the shaft 43, with proper manipulation of the set-screw ea. Further adjusting of the contact lever may be resorted to, by turning it in either one of the two ways depicted in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the precise construction shown and described nor to any particular mode of construction by which the same may be carried into effect, as many changes may be made in the details without departing from the main principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

.Ve claim 1. The combination with a feeder adapted to convey sheet material piled up thereon. to a certain point for delivery therefrom, of a stop traveling with the material, and means in the path of said stop serving when met thereby to interrupt the feeders operation.

2. The combination with a normally continuous feeder for sheet material piled up thereon, of a portable stop adapted to be positioned in various locations within the length of the pile, and means arranged to arrest the feeder upon being encountered by said stop at a predetermined time or place.

3. The combination with a paper feeder of the class described, of a stop insertible in the paper so as to be carried thereby, and mechanism actuated by said stop operating to check the paper feed.

4. The combination with a feeder for paper sheets laid in a pile thereon and a mechanism for arresting the same, of a stop pertaining to said mechanism including a member inserted in the paper transversely of its line of feed, and a cooperating bearing element arranged to press on the side of the pile at a right angle to said line and keep said member in its inserted position.

5. The combination with a feeder adapted to convey paper sheets in continuous piles and an arresting mechanism therefor, of a stop operable in connection with said mechanism, including a member insertible laterally into the piled paper, an element bearing sidewise on the latter in a direction transverse to said member, and abutment at one end of said element arranged to actuate said mechanism, and serrated means at the other end of the element impinging against the side of the paper as the mechanism is acted upon by said abutment.

6. The combination with a feeder comprising runways successively receiving a pile of paper sheets conveyed in a piled up condition thereover, of mechanism adapted to check the advance of said sheets, including a stop translatable from one of said runways to the other in time to operate said mechanism when the paper pile reaches a predetermined point on either runway 7. The combination with the control device of a paper-feeding machine, of means for actuating said device to stop the operation of said machine, including a lever oscillatable interiorly of the machine as the latter feeds the paper, and a traveling stop arranged to come into contact with said lever so as to oscillate the same.

8. The combination with a paper feeder having a device controlling its operation, of means for actuating said device to stop the operation of said feeder, including a stop arranged to travel with the paper, and a self-righting lever serving to interrupt the operation of the feeder upon being moved by said stop.

9. The combination with the control of a feeder for paper sheets, of means for interrupting the operation of said feeder, including a stop carried by the paper, an actuating lever adapted to actuate said control to stop the operation of said feeder by impulsion from said stop, and a connection for said lever enabling it to be adjusted with reference to one dimension of the paper sheets.

10. The combination with the control device of a feeder adapted to convey paper sheets of various widths, of means desi nod to actuate said control to stop the operation of said feeder, including a stop arranged to travel with the sheets, a lever operatively connected with said device, and a support for said lever permitting it to be placed in the path of said stop in accordance with the width of the paper.

11. The combination with the controlling device of a feeder designed to convey paper sheets of various sizes, of means for actuating said device to stop the operation of said feeder, including a stop carried by the sheets, and an operatively connected lever in the path of said stop capable of being reversed to accommodate the papers size.

12. The combination With the control of a paper feeder, of means for actuating said control to stop the operation of said feeder, including a stop traveling with the paper, a lever arranged for actuation by said stop, and intermediate adjustable connections admitting of said lever being positioned to meetthe stop at a suitable point to accommodate the paper with respect to both its length and width.

13. The combination with the control of a paper feeder, of means for interrupting the operation of said feeder, including a gravity-actuated arm in contact With said control, a detent serving to maintain said arm normally inoperative a lever having a swiveling connection with said detent, and a stop travelling with the paper functioned to oscillate said lever 14:. The combination with the control of a paper feeder, of means for interrupting the operation of said feeder, including a weighted arm normally in contact with said control, a detent opposing the gravitation of said arm, a lever flexibly connected With said detent, and a stop carried by the paper adapted to actuate said lever.

15. The combination with the control of a paper feeder, of means for interrupting the operation of said feeder, including a gravitating arm in contact with said control, a counterbalanced detent designed to nullify the tendency of said arm to gravitate, a stop carried by the paper, an actuating lever oscillatable by said stop, a rod pivotally joined to said lever extending toward said detent, and a swivel-stud forming the connection between said detent and said rod.

In testimony whereof, we have aflixed our signatures hereto.

JAMES H. MQCARTHY. THOMAS C. DEXTER. 

